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July 31, 2002

Richie Ashburn's letter to Harry Kalas

By TOM WILLIAMS
Sports Columnist


Dear Harry:

Welcome to Cooperstown, Old Buddy. You’ll find it easy to feel right at home here.

No matter where you turn, there is one of baseball’s all-time greats. And some old Philly favorites, like Robin Roberts, Steve Carlton and Mike Schmidt. If you’re looking for Pete Rose, though, you’ll have to go down the street a few doors.

We’ve come a long way, Harry. You got to Philadelphia from Houston and I came back after a memorable year in the Mets lineup. We really had a great time together and now here we are together again.

I’ve been telling some of the guys here who played before you stepped behind the mike that they were missing something by not having you call their games. I can imagine you describing one of those long moon shots by Babe Ruth, an extra base by Jackie Robinson or a great pitching performance by Walter Johnson.

But, you know, Harry, its not just the big calls that make you a Hall of Famer. “Watch this baby, that ball is outta here,” is a great trademark, to be sure. Big plays, however, make up only a small part of this game. You earned your credentials because of the way you call the game from the first pitch to the last.

Whether a fan is listening to a transistor radio on the beach or sitting in the recliner watching television, you have made Phillies baseball something special. And we both know that some of the teams we covered were anything but special.

When you do a game on the radio you are the eyes of the listeners. You create an image in their minds of where the infielders are playing, how the outfield is shifted and the tension of the situation. As they listen, they can actually see through your description what is happening on the field. And your voice tells them whether it is routine or exciting.

On television, you do your job by not getting in the way – by letting the pictures tell the story and just guiding the viewer through that story. This is a simple game, Harry, and you do Hall of Fame work describing it.

There is one critique I have about your speech on Sunday. You forgot the birthday greetings. Over the weekend, Alex Rodriguez, Dorothy Hamill, Peggy Fleming and Bill Bradley all celebrated their birthdays.

Harry, you are going to become the Poet Laureate of this place. And it’s about time. I’ve had just about all the down-home stories from Ty Cobb I can stand. Though I will admit that Satchel Paige can be pretty entertaining. And By Saam does have some great Philadelphia stories.

I’ll never forget the first thing I said when they told me you were coming to Cooperstown – “Oh, brother, what took him so long?”

You are one of the great ones, Harry. Not just because of Michael Jack Schmidt’s 500th home run call or the last out of Rick Wise’s no-hitter. It's because the baseball fans of the Delaware Valley know you will tell them the truth and they can trust you.

That is what makes a Hall of Fame broadcaster.

Congratulations.

Whitey

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